The iPhone remains the most popular smartphone in the United States, according to analysts, with Apple having dominated the market throughout 2021. The United States is, logically, one of the most popular markets for the iPhone, and are an important and reliable source of Apple's overall revenue. In an analysis by Counterpoint Research, it appears that the firm at the apple has captured more than half of the market for most of the last four quarters.
Apple largely leads in sales in the United States
According to firm data covering the whole of 2021, Apple would hold just over 50% of smartphone shipments. The year started with 55% of the market for the first quarter, in the midst of a market growing 14% year-on-year.
The figure fell slightly in the second quarter to a 53% share, with Apple's shipments growing 38%, although iPhone SE shortages apparently "hampered the growth of prepaid services". Overall, US smartphone market shipments increased 21% during the period.
In the third quarter, the market slowed, with Apple gaining a 47% market share, but more importantly a 19% year-on-year shipment growth, due to the successful launch of the iPhone 13 series.
In the fourth and final quarter, with industry shipments up 10% year-on-year, Apple saw its US market share rise to 56%. While that means Apple held the majority of the market, it's not quite as high as the 65% share it achieved in Q4 2020 a year earlier.
By comparison, Apple's closest rival, Samsung, only reached 34% market share in the third quarter of 2021, before falling back to 22% in the fourth quarter. Analysts said Samsung "couldn't restock its S21 series quickly enough," leading to declining sales in North America.
The iPhone isn't just hugely successful in the United States. In January, Counterpoint claimed that Apple had experienced a resurgence in China, its market share of 23% in the fourth quarter of 2021, its best score since 2015. Ditto in Vietnam with an honorable 3rd place in the ranking of the most prolific brands.
Here are the US sales statistics for Q4 2021:
